Join CHRONOHOLIC today!
All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
All the watch news, reviews, videos you want, brought to you from fellow collectors
At the beginning of February each year, Audemars Piguet unveils its most eagerly awaited novelties. For 2026, the maison has introduced an impressive array of timepieces. Among the 21 new models, two standout creations take centre stage - a highly complex universal calendar pocket watch and a jumping-hour guichet watch. The remaining releases include fresh interpretations of the brand’s iconic Code 11.52, Royal Oak, and Royal Oak Offshore collections.
150e Héritage Ultra-Complication Universal Calendar
The new 150e Héritage Ultra-Complication Universal Calendar pocket watch combines traditional high watchmaking with a newly developed Universal Calendar mechanism. Currently created as a two-piece limited edition - with additional white gold variations planned - the timepiece brings together an array of mechanical complications. A total of 40 functions include 22 complications, among them a Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie, and minute repeater enhanced by Supersonnerie technology, a split-seconds flyback chronograph, a flying tourbillon, and a semi-Gregorian perpetual calendar accurate until the year 2399.
Its hand-engraved platinum case, with portraits of founders Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, measures 50 mm in diameter and 23.4 mm in thickness, topped with a glass-box sapphire crystal. The caseback incorporates Audemars Piguet’s Supersonnerie sapphire soundboard and a hinged cover that opens to 180 degrees, revealing the Universal Calendar. A handmade platinum chain completes the piece, referencing traditional pocket-watch design. Beating inside is the new hand-wound Calibre 1150, which is made of more than 1,100 components, beats at 21,600 vph (3 Hz), and offers a 60-hour power reserve.
On the front, the dial is crafted in 18K white gold and finished with translucent blue grand feu enamel, hand-engraved with star-trail motifs inspired by celestial movements. This is complemented by hand-engraved white gold Roman numerals and pink gold hands, which offer contrast and legibility, while tone-on-tone subdials with silver-grey detailing display the chronograph indications.
The Universal Calendar, housed independently within the caseback, uses the Gregorian calendar as a reference while integrating solar, lunar, and lunisolar cycles. It compiles eight complications and 17 indications, displaying years, leap years, months, dates, weeks, moon phases, solstices, equinoxes, and major cultural celebrations derived from different calendar systems, including Diwali, Christmas, Vesak, Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah, Easter, and Chinese New Year. One full rotation of the calendar corresponds to a 19-year Metonic cycle.
Despite its complexity, the watch has been designed for clarity. Calendar indications are arranged through dedicated apertures, leaving the chronograph counters unobstructed. Operation is managed through three crown-pushers positioned at 2, 3, and 4 o’clock, each assigned to specific functions such as winding, time-setting, chronograph control, and chiming selection. Additional correctors for the weekday and moon phase are concealed beneath the caseback.
Neo Frame Jumping Hour
The Neo Frame Jumping Hour marks the first time Audemars Piguet has introduced a self-winding jumping-hour movement. The timepiece draws from Audemars Piguet’s early rectangular wristwatches, particularly the pre-model Ref. 1271, reinterpreted in a modern design.
The timepiece comes in a rectangular case crafted in 18K pink gold and measures 47.1 mm in length, 34 mm in width, and 8.8 mm in thickness. It is flanked on each side by eight pronounced gadroons that extend into long, tapering lugs. This textured motif, produced using CNC machining, is carried onto the caseback, crown, and oscillating weight as well.
The dial construction is the other defining element of the watch. Instead of a traditional metal dial, Audemars Piguet has opted for a black PVD-coated sapphire dial, with no metal framing at 12 and 6 o’clock. This exposed sapphire posed a technical challenge in terms of water resistance. To achieve a water resistance of 20 metres, the dial plate is bonded directly to the sapphire crystal and then screwed into the case, a solution developed specifically for this model.
Time is displayed via two gold-framed apertures - a rectangular window at 12 o’clock for the instantaneous jumping hours and an arched aperture at 6 o’clock for the trailing minutes. The matte black discs, printed with white numerals, appear to float beneath the pitch-black sapphire surface.
Powering the watch is the in-house Calibre 7122, visible through the sapphire caseback. Based on the Calibre 7121 introduced in 2022 with the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Ref. 16202, the movement has been re-engineered to accommodate the jumping-hour and trailing-minute display. It comprises 293 components, operates at a frequency of 4 Hz, and offers a 52-hour power reserve - only slightly reduced from the 55 hours of the base calibre despite the additional energy demands of the jumping-hour mechanism. The use of a titanium hour disc and an aluminium minute disc enhances efficiency by improving shock resistance. A patented shock-absorbing system further protects the mechanism by preventing unintended hour jumps in the event of impact. A solid gold openworked rotor winds this automatic calibre.
Completing the Neo Frame Jumping Hour is a black textured calfskin leather strap, seamlessly integrated between the lugs to reinforce visual continuity between the dial and strap. It is secured with an 18K pink gold clasp.
Code 11.59, Royal Oak, and Royal Oak Offshore models
The rest of the novelties span across Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59, Royal Oak, and Royal Oak Offshore collections, bringing together high complications, new calibres, and refined material choices.
The Code 11.59 Self-Winding 38 mm Flying Tourbillon showcases Calibre 2950 with a flying tourbillon, a 65-hour power reserve, and a white gold case with a black ceramic middle, while the Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar Openworked debuts Calibre 7139, revealing its architecture through a sapphire dial and offering a full perpetual calendar with week indication. The line is completed by the Code 11.59 Self-Winding in 38 mm pink gold, powered by Calibre 5900 with central seconds and a date.
In the Royal Oak collection, the Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” ceramic introduces Calibre 7138 with an innovative all-in-one crown adjustment system, while another Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar in titanium with BMG accents features the openworked Calibre 7139. The Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph in 38 mm pink gold debuts the new Calibre 6401, and the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked in titanium showcases Calibre 7124 through an intricately skeletonised dial. Audemars Piguet also expands its expressive side with the Royal Oak Selfwinding in yellow gold with a natural malachite dial and the Royal Oak Mini Quartz in yellow gold with a white mother-of-pearl dial.
On the sportier end, the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Diver pairs a 42 mm stainless steel case with 300 m water resistance and Calibre 4308, while the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph in blue ceramic features Calibre 4401 with flyback functionality.
Images - Courtesy Audemars Piguet
At the beginning of February each year, Audemars Piguet unveils its most eagerly awaited novelties. For 2026, the maison has introduced an impressive array of timepieces. Among the 21 new models, two standout creations take centre stage - a highly complex universal calendar pocket watch and a jumping-hour guichet watch. The remaining releases include fresh interpretations of the brand’s iconic Code 11.52, Royal Oak, and Royal Oak Offshore collections.
150e Héritage Ultra-Complication Universal Calendar
The new 150e Héritage Ultra-Complication Universal Calendar pocket watch combines traditional high watchmaking with a newly developed Universal Calendar mechanism. Currently created as a two-piece limited edition - with additional white gold variations planned - the timepiece brings together an array of mechanical complications. A total of 40 functions include 22 complications, among them a Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie, and minute repeater enhanced by Supersonnerie technology, a split-seconds flyback chronograph, a flying tourbillon, and a semi-Gregorian perpetual calendar accurate until the year 2399.
Its hand-engraved platinum case, with portraits of founders Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, measures 50 mm in diameter and 23.4 mm in thickness, topped with a glass-box sapphire crystal. The caseback incorporates Audemars Piguet’s Supersonnerie sapphire soundboard and a hinged cover that opens to 180 degrees, revealing the Universal Calendar. A handmade platinum chain completes the piece, referencing traditional pocket-watch design. Beating inside is the new hand-wound Calibre 1150, which is made of more than 1,100 components, beats at 21,600 vph (3 Hz), and offers a 60-hour power reserve.
On the front, the dial is crafted in 18K white gold and finished with translucent blue grand feu enamel, hand-engraved with star-trail motifs inspired by celestial movements. This is complemented by hand-engraved white gold Roman numerals and pink gold hands, which offer contrast and legibility, while tone-on-tone subdials with silver-grey detailing display the chronograph indications.
The Universal Calendar, housed independently within the caseback, uses the Gregorian calendar as a reference while integrating solar, lunar, and lunisolar cycles. It compiles eight complications and 17 indications, displaying years, leap years, months, dates, weeks, moon phases, solstices, equinoxes, and major cultural celebrations derived from different calendar systems, including Diwali, Christmas, Vesak, Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah, Easter, and Chinese New Year. One full rotation of the calendar corresponds to a 19-year Metonic cycle.
Despite its complexity, the watch has been designed for clarity. Calendar indications are arranged through dedicated apertures, leaving the chronograph counters unobstructed. Operation is managed through three crown-pushers positioned at 2, 3, and 4 o’clock, each assigned to specific functions such as winding, time-setting, chronograph control, and chiming selection. Additional correctors for the weekday and moon phase are concealed beneath the caseback.
Neo Frame Jumping Hour
The Neo Frame Jumping Hour marks the first time Audemars Piguet has introduced a self-winding jumping-hour movement. The timepiece draws from Audemars Piguet’s early rectangular wristwatches, particularly the pre-model Ref. 1271, reinterpreted in a modern design.
The timepiece comes in a rectangular case crafted in 18K pink gold and measures 47.1 mm in length, 34 mm in width, and 8.8 mm in thickness. It is flanked on each side by eight pronounced gadroons that extend into long, tapering lugs. This textured motif, produced using CNC machining, is carried onto the caseback, crown, and oscillating weight as well.
The dial construction is the other defining element of the watch. Instead of a traditional metal dial, Audemars Piguet has opted for a black PVD-coated sapphire dial, with no metal framing at 12 and 6 o’clock. This exposed sapphire posed a technical challenge in terms of water resistance. To achieve a water resistance of 20 metres, the dial plate is bonded directly to the sapphire crystal and then screwed into the case, a solution developed specifically for this model.
Time is displayed via two gold-framed apertures - a rectangular window at 12 o’clock for the instantaneous jumping hours and an arched aperture at 6 o’clock for the trailing minutes. The matte black discs, printed with white numerals, appear to float beneath the pitch-black sapphire surface.
Powering the watch is the in-house Calibre 7122, visible through the sapphire caseback. Based on the Calibre 7121 introduced in 2022 with the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Ref. 16202, the movement has been re-engineered to accommodate the jumping-hour and trailing-minute display. It comprises 293 components, operates at a frequency of 4 Hz, and offers a 52-hour power reserve - only slightly reduced from the 55 hours of the base calibre despite the additional energy demands of the jumping-hour mechanism. The use of a titanium hour disc and an aluminium minute disc enhances efficiency by improving shock resistance. A patented shock-absorbing system further protects the mechanism by preventing unintended hour jumps in the event of impact. A solid gold openworked rotor winds this automatic calibre.
Completing the Neo Frame Jumping Hour is a black textured calfskin leather strap, seamlessly integrated between the lugs to reinforce visual continuity between the dial and strap. It is secured with an 18K pink gold clasp.
Code 11.59, Royal Oak, and Royal Oak Offshore models
The rest of the novelties span across Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59, Royal Oak, and Royal Oak Offshore collections, bringing together high complications, new calibres, and refined material choices.
The Code 11.59 Self-Winding 38 mm Flying Tourbillon showcases Calibre 2950 with a flying tourbillon, a 65-hour power reserve, and a white gold case with a black ceramic middle, while the Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar Openworked debuts Calibre 7139, revealing its architecture through a sapphire dial and offering a full perpetual calendar with week indication. The line is completed by the Code 11.59 Self-Winding in 38 mm pink gold, powered by Calibre 5900 with central seconds and a date.
In the Royal Oak collection, the Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” ceramic introduces Calibre 7138 with an innovative all-in-one crown adjustment system, while another Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar in titanium with BMG accents features the openworked Calibre 7139. The Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph in 38 mm pink gold debuts the new Calibre 6401, and the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked in titanium showcases Calibre 7124 through an intricately skeletonised dial. Audemars Piguet also expands its expressive side with the Royal Oak Selfwinding in yellow gold with a natural malachite dial and the Royal Oak Mini Quartz in yellow gold with a white mother-of-pearl dial.
On the sportier end, the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Diver pairs a 42 mm stainless steel case with 300 m water resistance and Calibre 4308, while the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph in blue ceramic features Calibre 4401 with flyback functionality.
Images - Courtesy Audemars Piguet
